Wikipedia

1922–23 Port Vale F.C. season

The 1922–23 season was Port Vale's fourth consecutive season of football (17th overall) in the English Football League.[1] For the third-successive the season the club finished just out of the relegation zones, and for the second-successive season were unable to find a regular goalscorer following the sale of Bobby Blood. Financial issues continued to be a concern, especially when a former trainer reported the club for making illegal payments.

Port Vale
1922–23 season
ChairmanSampson Walker
ManagerJoe Schofield
StadiumThe Old Recreation Ground
Football League Second Division17th (37 Points)
FA CupFifth Qualification Round
(knocked out by Wrexham)
North Staffordshire Infirmary CupRunners-up
(knocked out by Stoke)
Top goalscorerLeague: Tom Butler (9)
All: Tom Butler (9)
Highest home attendance16,022 vs Manchester United, 14 October 1922
Lowest home attendance5,000 vs Derby County, 26 February 1923
Average home league attendance10,204+
Biggest win3–0 vs. South Shields, 25 December 1922
Biggest defeat0–3 (three games)
Veteran Tom Holford didn't make an appearance.
Billy Briscoe was absent in just four games.
Scottish midfielder Bob Connelly.

Overview edit

Second Division edit

The releasing of numerous experienced players in pre-season necessitated the signing of numerous new attacking players, namely Millwall winger Patrick Donoghue; 'robust' inside-right Jack Gordon from Queen's Park; James Smith from Plymouth Argyle; and Tom Reid from Ayr United.[1]

The season opened with two defeats in August, and though things soon turned around it became clear that goals were at a premium.[1] To solve this problem experienced winger Billy Harrison was signed from Manchester United.[1] The "Valiants" duly did the double over the "Red Devils" with a 2–1 win at Old Trafford, and a 1–0 win at home thanks to a Harrison strike.[1] Following an injury to the player the club suffered something of a blip in November.[1] The following month the club spent £100 to bring Tom Butler from Darlaston.[1] By the end of the calendar year the club were at the top end of the table, however, a loss of form in January caused them to slip back down the table.[1] In February, young Arthur Prince was promoted from the reserves and helped the club go four games unbeaten.[1] The Vale finished out the season on hot and cold spells and ended up narrowly avoiding relegation.

At the end of season, Vale had made slight progress, having finished on 37 points, improving their tally of the previous two seasons by a single point. Their shocking home record was better only than bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Vale secured the fewest home wins and had the second-lowest goals scored tally at home – remarkably second place West Ham United had managed to score just two fewer than Vale at home. Their six wins away from home helped them avoid the drop.

Top scorer Tom Butler bagged nine goals in his 26 games, but no other player managed more than four goals. Six players were rarely out of the first XI: goalkeeper Teddy Peers; defenders Peter Pursell and Len Birks; midfielders Ernest Collinge and Jack Hampson; and forward Billy Briscoe. At the end of the season, Billy Harrison joined Welsh club Wrexham, Jack Gordon went back to Scotland to sign with Greenock Morton, Teddy Peers retired, and Billy Briscoe refused a pay-cut and instead signed with nearby Congleton Town.[1]

Finances edit

Finances were poor as attendances were disappointing, with The Sentinel's "Spectator" commenting that "Port Vale is respected everywhere, except in its own district".[1] The ongoing Shilling Fund was useful for raising revenue, whilst £1,100 was written off by creditors in a remarkably charitable fashion.[1] Yet in June 1923, the club was in trouble when former trainer Billy Barr reported Port Vale to the English Football League, accusing the club of having made illegal payments to its players throughout the season.[1] The club was found guilty and was fined £100, with manager Joe Schofield also picking up a £25 fine.[1] Three other officials were fined £150 in total, whilst seventeen players were each fined £1 each.[1] This helped the club to report a loss of £2,400 on the season despite their tight spending.[1] Gate receipts stood at just over £10,000, down almost 50% on 1920–21.[1]

Cup competitions edit

Vale left the FA Cup at the Fifth Round of Qualifying after a disappointing 2–0 defeat by Third Division North Wrexham at The Old Recreation Ground.[1] The end of season North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup Potteries derby bragging rights went to Stoke, which was scant consolation for a club who had just suffered relegation from the First Division.[1] The match raised £250 for the local hospital.[2]

League table edit

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
15 Bradford City 42 12 13 17 41 45 0.911 37
16 Crystal Palace 42 13 11 18 54 62 0.871 37
17 Port Vale 42 14 9 19 39 51 0.765 37
18 Coventry City 42 15 7 20 46 63 0.730 37
19 Clapton Orient 42 12 12 18 40 50 0.800 36
Source: [citation needed]

Results edit

Port Vale's score comes first

Football League Second Division edit

Main article: 1922–23 Football League

Results by matchday edit

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142
GroundHAAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHHHAAAHAAHAHAH
ResultLLDWWLDWWWDLWLLDWWLWLLLLLDWWDLLLLWWLLDWDLD
Position19211915141516111088108101310109121012121415151515131313141517151415161616151717
Source: Statto[3]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches edit

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
26 August 1922 Fulham H 0–1 14,136
28 August 1922 Hull City A 0–3 6,000
2 September 1922 Fulham A 1–1 23,000 Smith
4 September 1922 Hull City H 1–0 10,000 Gordon
9 September 1922 Coventry City A 2–1 17,000 Smith, Agnew
16 September 1922 Coventry City H 0–1 12,733
23 September 1922 Clapton Orient A 0–0 10,000
30 September 1922 Clapton Orient H 3–1 10,200 Harrison, Gordon, Connelly
7 October 1922 Manchester United A 2–1 20,000 Hampson, Collinge
14 October 1922 Manchester United H 1–0 16,022 Harrison
21 October 1922 Notts County H 0–0 15,055
28 October 1922 Notts County A 0–1 12,000
4 November 1922 Bury H 2–0 8,822 Connelly, Gordon
11 November 1922 Bury A 0–2 11,000
18 November 1922 Rotherham County A 1–3 10,000 Collinge (pen)
25 November 1922 Rotherham County H 0–0 7,503
9 December 1922 Stockport County A 2–0 10,000 Orpe, Hampson
16 December 1922 Crystal Palace H 2–0 10,000 Butler, Orpe
23 December 1922 Crystal Palace A 0–2 9,000
25 December 1922 South Shields H 3–0 9,254 Butler (2), Davies
30 December 1922 Leeds United H 1–2 10,000 Hampson
1 January 1922 South Shields A 1–3 9,000 Briscoe
6 January 1923 Leeds United A 1–2 15,000 Butler
13 January 1923 Stockport County H 0–2 9,500
20 January 1923 West Ham United H 1–3 10,000 Connelly
27 January 1923 West Ham United A 0–0 18,000
3 February 1923 Blackpool H 2–0 9,885 Thompson, Collinge
10 February 1923 Derby County A 2–1 10,000 Butler (2)
17 February 1923 Southampton H 0–0 12,275
26 February 1923 Derby County H 2–3 5,000 Thompson, Butler
3 March 1923 Bradford City H 1–2 6,000 Prince
5 March 1923 Southampton A 1–3 5,000 Thompson
10 March 1923 Bradford City A 0–2 9,000
17 March 1923 Blackpool A 2–0 10,000 Briscoe, Butler
30 March 1923 Wolverhampton Wanderers H 1–0 15,000 Page
31 March 1923 Leicester City A 0–3 20,000
2 April 1923 Wolverhampton Wanderers A 0–3 15,000
7 April 1923 Leicester City H 0–0 8,660
14 April 1923 Barnsley A 1–0 8,000 Reid
21 April 1923 Barnsley H 1–1 7,799 Briscoe
28 April 1923 The Wednesday A 0–2 12,000
5 May 1923 The Wednesday H 2–2 6,000 Hampson (pen), Butler

FA Cup edit

Main article: 1922–23 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
5Q 2 December 1922 Wrexham H 0–2 7,200

North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup edit

Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
Final 7 May 1923 Stoke A 1–3 Thompson

Player statistics edit

Appearances edit

Pos. Name Football League FA Cup Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Daniel Smith 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
GK   Teddy Peers 41 0 1 0 0 0 43 0
DF   Peter Pursell 40 0 1 0 1 0 42 0
DF   Len Birks 41 0 0 0 0 0 41 0
DF   William Lavery 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
DF   Billy Twemlow 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
DF   David Richards 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
MF   Billy Fitchford 19 0 1 0 0 0 20 0
MF   Ernest Collinge 42 3 1 0 1 0 44 3
MF   Bob Connelly 29 3 0 0 0 0 30 3
MF   Jack Hampson 38 4 1 0 0 0 39 4
MF   Tom Orpe 8 2 0 0 0 0 8 2
MF   Arthur Prince 16 1 0 0 1 0 17 1
MF Patrick Donoghue 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
MF   Tom Holford 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FW   Billy Briscoe 39 3 0 0 1 0 40 3
FW   Tom Page 25 1 1 0 0 0 26 1
FW   Billy Agnew 11 1 1 0 0 0 12 1
FW   Jimmy Thompson 8 3 0 0 1 1 9 4
FW Albert Spencer 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
FW   James Smith 7 2 0 0 0 0 7 2
FW   Tom Reid 6 1 0 0 1 0 7 1
FW   Jack Gordon 22 3 1 0 1 0 24 3
FW   Charles Hallam 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
FW   Billy Harrison 21 2 0 0 1 0 22 2
FW   Harry Davies 12 1 0 0 0 0 12 1
FW   Tom Butler 25 9 0 0 1 0 26 9

Top scorers edit

Place Position Nation Name Second Division FA Cup Infirmary Cup Total
1 FW   England Tom Butler 9 0 0 9
2 MF   Wales Jack Hampson 4 0 0 4
– FW   England Jimmy Thompson 3 0 1 4
4 MF   England Ernest Collinge 3 0 0 3
– MF   Scotland Bob Connelly 3 0 0 3
– FW   Scotland Jack Gordon 3 0 0 3
– FW   England Billy Briscoe 3 0 0 3
8 MF   England Tom Orpe 2 0 0 2
– FW   England Billy Harrison 2 0 0 2
– FW   Scotland James Smith 2 0 0 2
11 MF   England Arthur Prince 1 0 0 1
– FW   England Tom Page 1 0 0 1
– FW   England Harry Davies 1 0 0 1
– FW   Scotland Billy Agnew 1 0 0 1
– FW   Scotland Tom Reid 1 0 0 1
TOTALS 39 0 1 40

Transfers edit

Transfers in edit

Date from Position Nationality Name From Fee Ref.
May 1922 FW   James Smith Plymouth Argyle Free transfer [4]
June 1922 FW   Harry Davies Chorley Free transfer [4]
August 1922 MF Patrick Donoghue Millwall Athletic Free transfer [4]
August 1922 FW   Jack Gordon   Queen's Park Free transfer [4]
August 1922 FW   Tom Reid   Ayr United Free transfer [4]
August 1922 DF   David Richards   Larkhall Thistle Free transfer [4]
September 1922 FW   Charles Hallam Sandford Hill Primitives Free transfer [4]
September 1922 FW   Billy Harrison Manchester United Free transfer [4]
October 1922 MF   Arthur Prince Bucknall Free transfer [4]
November 1922 MF   Tom Orpe Hanley Free transfer [4]
January 1923 FW   Tom Butler Darlaston £100 [4]
January 1923 FW   Jimmy Thompson Ashton National Gas Free transfer [4]

Transfers out edit

Date from Position Nationality Name To Fee Ref.
October 1922 FW   James Smith Fulham Mutual consent [4]
May 1923 GK   Teddy Peers Retired [4]
June 1923 FW   Billy Harrison Wrexham £300 [4]
June 1923 FW   Albert Spencer Wolverhampton Wanderers Free transfer [4]
Summer 1923 FW   Billy Agnew   Arthurlie Released [4]
Summer 1923 GK   Ernest Blackham Released [4]
Summer 1923 FW   Billy Briscoe Congleton Town Free transfer [4]
Summer 1923 FW   Harry Davies Chorley Released [4]
Summer 1923 MF Patrick Donoghue Released [4]
Summer 1923 FW   Jack Gordon   Greenock Morton Released [4]
Summer 1923 DF   William Lavery Released [4]
Summer 1923 MF   Billy Fitchford Glossop Released [4]
Summer 1923 MF   Harry Johnstone Released [4]
Summer 1923 MF   Tom Orpe Cheadle New Haden Released [4]
Summer 1923 DF   David Richards   Dundee United Released [4]
Summer 1923 GK Daniel Smith Released [4]
Summer 1923 FW   Jimmy Thompson Blackpool Released [4]
Summer 1923 DF   Billy Twemlow Macclesfield Released [4]
August 1923 FW   Charles Hallam Sandbach Ramblers Released [4]

References edit

Specific
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Kent, Jeff (1990). "Keeping in Good Company (1919-1929)". The Valiants' Years The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 98–123. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  2. ^ Kent, Jeff (November 1998). The Potteries Derbies. Witan Books. p. 118. ISBN 0-9529152-3-5.
  3. ^ Port Vale 1922–1923 : Results & Fixtures Archived 6 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Statto Organisation. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
General
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